An invitation to artists of all media, who currently live and/or work in the borough of Queens to have their work reviewed for possible inclusion in the exhibition. Previous incarnations of Queens International can be viewed here.

Kazunori Nozawa's latest venture sugarFISH opened doors to a lot of fanfare a few days ago. The highly spoiled and educated LA-sushi community was buzzing about the new joint. I immediately made plans with a few friends to dine here.

sugarFISH is located in a mall in the Marina Del Rey blending in with its high end bobo neighbors. It's bright, modern, and sleek. There's an unexpected high tech component to the restaurant (Sapient co-founder and sugarFISH partner Jerry A. Greenberg had some obvious influence) with a digital menu offering fairly simple omakase options. Choosing from three different “Trust Me” menus, the dining experience is straightforward and comforting. Eat the freshest fish, pay a set price (inclusive of tip and tax) and enjoy the Nozawa quality and taste you've grown accustomed to. The seafood maestro's motto, “Don’t Think, Just Eat," rings true here.

A few facts:

* Kazunori Nozawa's son, Tom Nozawa manages all the kitchen and food responsibilities. We hear Nozawa's number one protege is also in house.

* sugarFISH is open for lunch and dinner and at this time, does not take reservations. For a no hassle experience, dine early, around 5:00 p.m. After that, anything goes.

* Famed former Apple creative director, Clement Mok is sugarFISH’s brand designer and head of marketing. Most peeps won't know who he is but for those who do, his touch is obvious.

The above two pieces of art were stolen from the SF RVCA store two days ago (not during the opening). They are from permanent/private collections and, without going into detail, have a great deal of sentimental value to the artists.

I don't want to go on a rant, but I'm having trouble holding back on this. To me there are only two conceivable reasons a person would do this:

1. You really really love this person's work and cannot afford it.

OR

2. You did it to make money.

The problem with #1 that it strikes me as an interesting dichotomy for one to seemingly have a large enough respect for the artist that they would risk doing something like this, yet knowingly be causing damage to the artists, gallery owners, and art scene in general. When this happens, everyone involved is much less likely to participate the next time around which is bad for us all. A knife in the back is an odd way to show love...

The problem with #2 is that naturally when fencing art you're going to be selling it at a drastic loss while simultaneously increasing your chances of being caught trying to do so. If we were talking about something you stole from the Louvre - yes, maybe I can understand that may be a risk worth taking for some people who stand to gain a few million out of it; but in all honesty what do you stand to make out of this deal, a couple hundred dollars? Not many buyers are willing to obtain knowingly stolen art by these artists.

If you have any information about this, or means of having the artwork returned - there will be absolutely no questions asked and no legal efforts made to follow up on you or any involved parties. They just want the pieces back. You may contact me privately (art@unaesthetic.net), any of the RVCA staff (415-701-7822), or set up an anonymous third party to communicate through.

Hanna Rose Shell and Los Angeles-based artists Sumi Ink Club invite visitors to participate in the building of active models to explore the underlying principles of becoming invisible. Participants are encouraged to experiment with methods of obliterative countershading and disruptive patterning. In addition to reconnoitering for concealed human forms, visitors work together to transform discrete animal shapes into an abstract mass indistinguishable from its background environment. Each line is used to form a field of real and potential illusion, as participants obliterate and decorate, continue and disrupt, reveal and obscure the marks made by others in the interest of creative collaboration. Sumi Ink and brushes will be available for all. Sumi Ink Club, founded in 2005 by Luke Fischbeck and Sarah Rara, holds regular public meetings in which many hands collaborate to create seamless topsy-turvy drawings using sumi ink. This event is for all ages.

Taalman Koch Architecture is a collaborative and culturally focused architecture firm in Los Angeles. Founded by architects Linda Taalman and Alan Koch, the two are known for their unique ability to creatively partner with artists and collaborative teams in their projects. Growing out of their experiences working directly with artists in the TRESPASSING houses x artists project and the Dia : Beacon museum they developed a method of thinking about architecture that empirically responds to the situations presented to them. Rather than apply a singular formal language or strategy to a body of work, they strive to uncover opÂ portunities, actively looking to allow influences outside their previous experiences to shape their present perspectives. Their attention to the immediate project at hand has resulted in highly sensitive architectural projects that emphasize the experience and phenomenological results over the discrete image or object. Through collaboration with artists in other disciplines and borrowing from other industries they attempt to direct architecture broadly and without prescribed rules.

Spotting danah boyd in real life these days is like catching sight of a unicorn. It's rare, but sometimes it happens. So when a last minute lunch opportunity was presented to me, I grabbed it.

Strangers beware. Watching the two of us talk can cause an inexperienced voyeur to spontaneously combust. I think in another decade I will be able to sit across from danah and blink my eyes and she'll totally get what I'm saying. Either that, or she'll be studying our new forms of social interaction. Whatever. If we're hanging, I'm happy.

A collection of over 500 political graphics, Reproduce & Revolt/Reproduce Y Rebélate contains original art granted by the creators to the public domain, to be freely used on political posters, flyers, and campaigns. A bilingual (English & Spanish) book, it also includes a history of the reproducible political graphic and a design how-to for anyone interested in using the images in this book to help change the world. A powerful collection of graphic work by some of the world’s most active and interesting political propagandists, street artists and socially conscious graphic designers. Over 100 artists from over 25 countries are included!

My office needs some more decoration! The Nodeblinky by Image Mode (cousin of GRL) is like, epileptic flare! I want!

The Nodeblinky has 28 LEDs and electronics to control them all. It can play over 2500 unique combinations of patterns designed by the Image Node crew. It has 4 modes and 4 levels of brightness. On the lowest levels of brightness, it will run for 5-7 hours on a rechargable 9V. (It will run for 20-25 hours on a disposable 9V as well)

The Nodeblinky is sold as a kit that you can assemble. All you need is a soldering iron, some solder, and a nippy cutter. If you are in NYC, we will be throwing Blinky Tupperware Parties at the FATlab in East Williamsburg in July and August. Clear, detailed instructions for assembling the blinky are available here.

A Nodeblinky Kit costs $40
An assembled Nodeblinky costs $80

If you want to show off your real mad soldering skills, pick up a few kits. Buy yours here and help some Burners move their stuff west. Every order helps. So please order plenty!

Opening Reception Saturday, June 28, 2008 from 7 to 10pm
On View June 28 until July 16, 2008

Corey Helford Gallery is proud to present “Natural History Museum Part I”, a solo exhibition of new works by Los Angeles artist Carlos Ramos. For his first solo show in Los Angeles, Ramos replicates the natural history museum experience for his audience, fusing the natural world with the art world. A series of twenty four large-scale paintings based on classic grand dioramas and a special installation of skeletal structures will transform the gallery into an epicenter of flora and fauna. The concept of the exhibition is based on Ramos’ childhood fascination with natural history museums and the “authoritative” impression they made on him growing up. Developing a show around a cohesive theme as well as expanding the size and scale of his work mark an exciting new direction for the artist, which has allowed him to explore environments and characters more freely than in the past. Open to the public, the reception for “Natural History Museum Part I” will take place on Saturday, June 28 from 7 to 10pm and will be on view until July 16, 2008.